A report has warned that Ireland's immigration policies could cause serious difficulties for Irish workers if there is an economic slump.
The report, commissioned by the National Economic and Social Council, urges the State to take control of immigration policy and stop allowing employers to decide who comes here for work.
It says there is ‘a serious weakness’ in Ireland's current labour immigration system because of the lack of policies to protect the employment prospects of local workers in the event of an economic downturn.
The report also says the Government cannot analyse information about migrant workers because the computer systems of the four Government departments that collect data are incompatible.
It says that 750,000 PPS numbers have been given to migrants workers in the past five years, but the State does not know how many of these workers have stayed and how many family members have joined them.
